How to Repair Pine Furniture

Written by linda stamberger| 13/05/2017

Pine wood (Fragment of a board 1 image by amlet from Fotolia.com)

Pine can become discoloured over time turning orange in colour, especially vintage pieces left in their natural state or not coated in colour paint. Pine furniture is a porous and softer wood, more prone to nicks and abrasions than hard wood. The wood can crack if left in a too dry environment. In humid environments, pine wood can warp. There are easy steps to take to repair pine furniture and keep it looking good for years to come.

Things you need

Tarp

Old newspaper

Dust mask

Eye goggles

Plastic gloves

Chemical stripping agent

Paint brush

Scraping tool

Putty knife

Electric sander

220 grit sandpaper

Wood glue

Clamp

150 grit sandpaper

Urethane finish

Gel based stain

Take pine wood outdoors, weather permitting. If indoors, open up windows for proper ventilation. Spread a tarp or old newspapers around or underneath the furniture to protect from wood dust and chemical spills. Examine the pine furniture for damage. Put on a dust mask and protective eye goggles. Put on a pair of disposable plastic gloves. Use a stripping agent and a paint brush to strip the pine furniture of old varnish, paint, or surface mildew.

Wait five minutes, and as the stripping agent begins to oxidise use a scraping tool such as a putty knife and being to scrape away the top layers of furniture. By scraping the furniture it will be easier to repair any surface problems.

Use an electric sander to even the grain after stripping off old varnish or paint. Sand evenly over the entire surface. Use 220 grit sandpaper for hard to reach areas, and sand by hand. Once the surface is completely sanded, remove wood dust with a clean paint brush.

Take wood glue and glue back into place any lifted sections of pine wood. Take wood sealant and fill in any gouges or hairline cracks or splits in the wood with the sealant. Let both the sealant and wood glue dry.

Fix the joints on pine wood furniture by re-sanding the section of wood in the joint, and regluing the joint back into place. Hold together with a clamp. Remove clamp once the glue is dry. Re-sand all glued and repaired sections lightly by hand with less abrasive 150 grit sandpaper to even out the surface and bring out the grain.

Finish the repaired pine wood with a water, insect proof, hi-gloss satin urethane finish. Stain the pine wood with a gel based stain to add richness and depth, or to alter the colour without the use of paint before applying satin urethane finish. Let stain dry overnight before applying finish. Satin urethane finish takes 2 to 6 hours to dry.